Abstract:

Objectives: Deaths due to infectious diseases in the elderly are the leading cause of mortality. In this study, it was aimed to determine the vaccination rates and the factors affecting the vaccination rates among the old people aged 65 and over admitted to Göztepe Education and Research Hospital’s Family Medicine outpatient clinics. Materials and Methods: Our study is a descriptive cross-sectional study conducted with 303 people over 65 years admitted to Family Medicine outpatient clinic. Questionnaires on age, gender, occupation, marital and educational status, having social insurance and having chronic diseases were applied to the participants. It was asked whether they were vaccinated with influenza, pneumococcal and tetanus vaccines. Finally, the encouraging factors were asked to those who were vaccinated and the reasons for avoidance were asked to those who were not vaccinated. Results: The 56.42% of the participants were female and the average age was 71.36 ± 5.3. The 35.62% of the participants had any vaccination over 65 years, while the 64.42% of them were not vaccinated at all except childhood time. Respectively 33.94%, 9.91% and 0.70% had influenza, pneumococcal, hepatitis B vaccines. 94.42% had influenza vaccination. When the source of information and motivation factors about getting vaccinated were asked, the physician was the answer for respectively 76.9% and 70.41% of the participants. There was no significant difference realized in terms of gender, marital status, occupation and social security, but a difference was determined between the vaccinated and non-vaccinated groups in terms of educational status. The participants with chronic pulmonary, heart and kidney disease had more tendency to be vaccinated, no difference was observed between vaccinated and non-vaccinated groups in terms of hypertension and chronic liver disease. Conclusion: To apply the vaccination follow-up system that is implemented for the infant and children in the primary care to the geriatric population, to establish regular follow-up systems and to remind vaccinations and to increase the awareness for both the patients and doctors are all suitable to increase vaccination rates over the age of 65. 

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